I am now the proud owner of a Canon EOS 20D and a 400mm lens to get up close and personal to our backyard birds. I have been having great fun, seeing how close I can get to subjects, both physically and through the lens. The real trick is being able to get a good focus when hand holding this bad boy, and my son Jeff suggested that I shoot all exposures on manual, so that I learn what makes up good lighting and a great photo.
After I received an email from Canon announcing an 800mm lens, I became curious as to how large of a lens can be made. Check out this story I found on crestock.com: The World’s Most Extreme Photography Equipment.
“Weighing a mere 16.5 kilos (36+ lbs) and being only 83 centimeters long (without the bucket-like hood), this delicate little flower will nevertheless magnify faraway objects (or perhaps more relevant, faraway people) to a degree that will leave little to the imagination. To my knowledge, this is the longest focal length available to autofocus SLR cameras without using any extra magnifiers.”
“Due to its size, limited area of use and robust price tag, it has only been available from Canon built to order, and to date they have apparently produced fewer than 20 samples of this lens. The company recently announced that they would be slashing the 1200mm from their catalogue, so if you want one, better be quick about it.”
“The suggested price of the lens upon unveiling in 1993, converted to present day money puts it at apx. $120 000, or the cost of “a small sports car” which is the most common price comparison given for the lens.”
I’ll stick with my 400mm for portability.